The auction will be conducted at a former schoolhouse building in Cedar Point, Ill., a small town located just off I-39 and south of I-80, about 90 minutes southwest of Chicago and an hour north of Bloomington. The collections were amassed over the course of more than 40 years by Don Fiedler of nearby Spring Valley, Ill. Mr. Fiedler is less active today, and wants others to enjoy what he's collected.
“Don Fiedler is 66 years old and one of the most interesting and colorful characters you will ever meet,” said Dan Matthews of Matthews Auctions, LLC. “He's six-foot-six, has been married twice, is a cancer survivor and has long white hair down to his waist and a beard to match. He's a gentle giant who's owned several saloons, a trucking company and the well-known House of Powder paint coating business. It was while in these lines of work that he amassed his many and varied collections.”
The first day of the auction – May 2, beginning at 10 a.m., CST – will feature nearly 175 lots of advertising and petroliana signs; floor and counter-top displays; nearly 50 vintage oil cans; 75 lots of paper goods, from posters to parts boxes; six gas pumps, fully restored; vintage motorcycles, including Indian, Harley Davidson and Cushing models; rare vintage bicycles; and the 1954 Mack semi truck.
The advertising signs will include porcelain, paper and tin examples. Many are scarce and in mint or near-mint condition. A few of the expected top lots include an exceedingly rare AFM Registered Repair Shop porcelain flange sign; a Socony Air-Craft Oils single-sided porcelain sign; a Perfect Circle Piston Rings and Piston Expanders embossed tin sign; a Delco “America's No. 1 Battery” double-sided tin sign; and a rare Texaco Motor Oil Ford porcelain sign.
Several curb and counter-top displays, plus clocks and lighted signs, will also be offered. Some star examples include a Phillips 66 Tires & Batteries double-bubble clock; an original Ford A-1 Used Cars & Trucks lighted clock; an Edison Mazda Super Auto Lamps porcelain storage box; an AC Spark Plugs metal cabinet with original spark plugs; and a Westinghouse Mazda Lamps metal display cabinet.
Day One will also feature several lots of oil cans, to include an original Harley Davidson 5-gallon rocker-style piece, in fabulous condition; and six professionally restored gas pumps, including a 1930s-era Milwaukee cash recording pump; a Wayne 615 10-gallon visible pump; a Frye 117 10-gallon visible pump; a Tokheim 850 pump; and an Eco Air Meter, all painted up and ready for display.
Mr. Fiedler's vintage motorcycle collection is certain to get tongues (and paddles) wagging. Some stars of the category include a 1941 and 1947 Indian Chief; a home-built chopper with 1948 Harley Davidson pan head motor; a 1948 Harley Davidson pan head; a 1949 Harley Davidson Hydra-Glide pan head; a vintage Salsburg Scooter; and a 1952 Harley Davidson Servi-Car.
Other motorcycles include a 1952 Cushman Scooter; a 1954 Harley Davidson Hummer; a 1965 Harley Davidson FLH Electra Glide; and a reproduction “Whizzer” model. But the undisputed premier lot of the day promises to be the Mack truck. The 1954 LTH model semi is simply gorgeous, and has been beautifully restored and painted (even to include the engine, which is mechanically very strong).
Nearly 50 vintage bicycles will also come under the gavel. Top lots include Indian Motorcycle Company 151 and Roadster 154 models; a Harley Davidson 1917; and other examples in various conditions and colors, by makers like Monarch, J.C. Higgins, Schwinn, Chicago Cycle, American Cycle, West Field, B.F. Goodrich, Arrow, Elgin, Pierce, Geneva, Western Flyer, Shapleigh and others.
Day Two – Sunday, May 3, also starting at 10 a.m. CST – will feature close to 350 lots, mostly collectible antique toys and coin-op machines. First to cross the block will be toy motorcycles, to include a Hubley “Popeye” Indian Patrol 2-cylinder; a rare Hubley “U.S. Air Mail” Indian 2-cylinder with box van side car; a Hubley “Crash Car” 4-cylinder; and a Hubley Indian 2-cylinder with side car.
Other toy motorcycles will include a Hubley electric headlight 2-cylinder with side car; and some 2- and 4-cylinder Harley Davidson variations. Tin examples include a Harley Davidson 9-inch friction by TN (Japan); a Mac 700 7-inch wind-up by Arnold (U.S. Zone Germany); an Atom battery-op 11-inch by MT (Japan); a Siren Patrol battery-op 11-inch by MT; and a Police Cycle 11-inch by MT.
Items in Mr. Fielder's toy truck collection include a Smith Miller “B” Mack tandem axle dump truck; a Smith Miller Ford cab-over truck with flat bed; a Fred Thompson Smith Miller “B” Mack McLean Trucking Company semi and trailer; and a Fred Thompson Smith Miller “L” Mack “Parker Bros. Ready Mix Concrete” truck. Many of the Fred Thomson trucks are limited-production examples.
Vintage pressed steel trucks, massive and impressive, include a Buddy “L” Express Line van truck; a Sturditoy “American Railway Express” screen side van truck; a Steelcraft GMC moving van truck; a Keystone private label Wm. Filenes Sons Co. “RH Whitmoco, The Continental”
Other steel trucks include a Steelcraft private label “Federal Storage & Moving” truck with electric headlights; a Buddy “L” coach bus; a Turner mechanical dump truck; a Keystone Packard ambulance; a Dayton C-Cab dump truck; and a Keystone Packard “Wrecker Car.” Pressed steel planes include a Steelcraft “Lockheed Sirius” plane; and various Steelcraft and Keystone U.S. Air Mail planes.
Rounding out the session will be desirable coin-op machines. These include a Place 5-cent slot machine; a fully-operational pinball machine; trade stimulators, to include a Penny Pack machine; nearly 20 candy, peanut and gumball machines, by Master Peanut, Double Nugget, Northwestern and other manufacturers;
It will be an absolute auction, meaning all of the nearly 750 collectible and fresh-to-the-
Matthews Auctions, LLC, is based in Nokomis, Ill. The firm is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign an item, estate or collection, you may call them toll-free, at (877) 968-8880, or you can e-mail them, at danm@matthewsauctions.com. Gavin Pope Auction Company is based in Raymond, Ill. For information, you may call Gavin Pope at (217) 825-8682.
To learn more about the May 2-3 auction of the living estate of Don Fiedler, you may log on to www.MatthewsAuctions.com or www.GDPope.com.
